Electric iron



Dec. 17, 1929. F, HANLEY 1,739,720

ELECTRIC IRON Filed May 17. 1926 gwovntoc Patented Dec. 17, 1929 UNITEDSTATES PATENT; OFFICE FRANK II. HANLEY, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORT0 HANLEY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OFMICHIGAN ELECTRIC IRON Application filed May 17,

This invention relates to an electric iron, and has special reference tothat class of irons that may be manually or automatically controlled, toavoid overheating and waste of electrical current. The manual control isordinarily by a switch on or in proximity to the handle of the iron andthe automatic controlmay be by a thermostatic device.

My invention aims to provide a manual and automatic control device thatmay be easily and quickly applied to various types of electricallyheated irons, the device including manual and automatic controlmechanisms which are compactly arranged on the ironwith the manualcontrol in proximity to the iron handle so'that the hand gripping theiron handle may be used to switch ona nd off the electric current. Thethermostatic control is within an effective heating zone of the iron andprovision is made for regulating the action of this control.

My invention further aims to furnish a positive throw switch of theplunger actuated type with a novel trip member that is manually set forrelease by a thermostatic device, and the thermostatic device isprovided with means so that it may be manually actuated at any time tocause the switch to be actuated to cut ofi the electric current and theplunger of the switch restored to normal position.

The details ,of construction entering into my electric iron will behereinafter specifically described and then claimed, and reference willnow be had to the drawing wherein Figure 1 is a plan of the iron partlybroken away and partly in section;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the iron with the manual and automaticcontrol device in longitudinal section showing an oil position of thedevice;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of a portion of the iron;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the control device in an on position; and

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view line VI-VI of Fig. 3.

In the drawing, the reference numeral 1 taken on the 1926. Serial No.109,608.

denotes a conventional form of electric iron having handle supports 2and 3 connected by tie rods 4 supporting a handle 5. The bandle support2 has a socket 6 for a plug 7 carried'by a leading-in conductor 8. Theiron 1 ordinarily has a cover held in place by a screw bolt 9 and Iutilize this screw bolt and the handle support 3 as a means of retainingmy attachment in engagement with the iron.

The attachment comprises a plate or platform 10 with its forward endprovided with a side wall 11, a front wall 12, and a tang 13, said tangbeing placed in engagement with the support 3 and the tie rod 4 forholding the forward end of the platform 10 substantially on the cover ofthe iron.

The rear end of the platform 10 has a longitudinal slot 14 adjacent itsinner edge and this edge of the platform rests on and is adjustablyconnected to a cleat 15 having a slot 16 for a nut equipped clampingscrew 17 which extends through the slot 1 1 so that the cleat andplatform may be clamped together. The cleat is slotted at 18 to fitunder the screw bolt 9 and it is by virtue of said cleat and itsadjustment relative to the screw bolt 9 and the platform 10 that theattachment is applicable to various sizes or types of electricallyheated irons. Mounted on the platform 10 and cooperating with the walls11, and 12in forming a housing is a casing 19, preferably made ofinsulation material. In this casing is placed a positive throw switch 20including stop members 21 for a pivoted switch plate 22 enga cable withresilient switch plates 23 held y binding posts 24 to which areconnected leading-out wires 25. These wires extend through a tubularguard 26 and into the plug 7 Where suitable connections are made withthe conductor 8. The guard 26 may be held in place on the platform 10 bya clip 27 held by the nut equipped screw 17. The pivoted switch plate 22includes a plunger-member 28 supported on a bracket 29 on which ismounted the switch 20. Operatable through the bracket 29 and looselyconnected to the plunger member 28, as at 30, is a vertically dis osedplunger 31 having' the upper end .t ereof provided with as at 44, andthe strip 43 and t position, said tri a finger piece 32, protruding fromthe easing 19 and made of insulation material. This finger piece is inproximity to the forward end of the handle 5 and is normally supportedin a raised position by the expansive force of a coiled spring 33encircling the plunger 31, between the finger piece 32 and an extension34 of the switch 20. The finger piece 32 may be readily depressed by thethumb of a hand gripping the handle 5 and such depression is adapted toactuate the pivoted plunger member 28 and throw the switch plate 22 fromthe off position shown in Fig. 2 to the on position shown in Fig. 5.

Pivotally mounted on the platform 10 below the switch 20, as at 35 is atrip member 36. This trip member has an overhanging hook shaped portion37 ada ted to overlie a portion of the plunger mem er 28, as shown inFig. 5 and hold the plunger member with the plunger 31 lowered and theswitch in an on position. To place the trip member 36 in engagement withthe lunger member 28, said trip member has a epending finger piece 38extending throu h a slot 39 in the side wall 11, and when the n 'erpiece 32 is depressed and so held, the nger piece 38 can be shifted toplace the overhanging portion 37 of the trip member 36 in engagementwith the plunger member 28.

To hold the trip member 36 in its adjusted member has a lateral eeper 40engagea 1e by a latch 41 extend ing upwardly throu h a slot 42 inthe'platform 10. The latch 41 is on the extreme forward end of aresilient or flexible laminated thermostatic strip 43 that issusceptible to flexure b heat radiated by the iron. The rear end of thethermostatic strip 43 is attached to the rear end of the latform 10, eplatform 10 are provided with registering slots 45 for a nut equippedscrew bolt 46; The nut 47 of the screw bolt 46 bears on the platform 10and is slidable thereon and ada ted to be fixed relative to theplatform. T is nut equipped screw bolt constitutes a device forregulating the flexure of the thermostatic strip, whereby said strip maybe made more or less active for the purposes of an automatic control orstrip release device.

Attached to the thermostatic strip 43, be tween the screw bolt 46 andthe latch 41 is a post 48 extending through the platform 10 and providedwith a button head 49. Encircling the post 48, between the head 49 andthe platform 10 is acoiled expansion spring 50. The tension of thespring does not interfere with flexure of the thermostaticstri 43, butsupports the button head 49 so that this head may be depressed to lowerthe forward end of the thermostatic strip 43 and release the trip member36. The elements 48 to 50 inclusive constitute means for manuallyactuating the thermostatic strip or device should it be desired to openthe switch and cut off the supply of. electrical current to the iron,before such is automatically accomplished by flexure of the thermostaticstrip. I

In order that the trip member 36 may be swung on its pivot or actuatedto release the plungermember 28, when the keeper 40 is released by thelatch 41, a coiled retractile spring 51 is attached to the overhangingportion 37 of the trip member 36 and an upstruck lug 52 of the platform10. See Fig. 3.

Assuming the iron is in an off osition, as shown in Fig. 2, and it isdesire to turn on the current to heat the iron 1 preparatory to usingthe same. The finger piece 32 is depressed placing the sprin 33 undercompression. The plunger mem er 28 is rocked to throw the switch plate22 into engagement withthe yieldable contact members or plates 23. Acircuit is then completed for heating the iron. While the finger piece32 is momentarily held depressed, the finger piece 38 is shifted tosecure the plunger member 28 in its shifted position, and when the tripmember 36 is so actuated the resilient thermostatic strip 43 places itslatch 41 in the path of the extension 40 to hold the trip member.

As the iron becomes heated it may be used and if it becomes too hot thestrip 43 releases the trip member 36, which in turn opens the switch 20and permits the spring 33 to restore the plunger and its finger piece tonormal raised position.

It will be noted that the electrical connections are insulated and maybe safely used; that other switches than that shown may be employed inconnection with the trip member, and that the attachment is applicableto irons other than of the plug type shown. For these reasons I do notcare to confine my invention to the precise construction and arrangementof parts other than defined by the appended claims.

' What I claim is 1. In combination with a switch for controlling anelectric current, a spring supported plunger adapted to be depressed andheld to close said switch, said plunger being adapted to be released toopen said switch, and a plunger member connected to said plunger andswitch for actuating the latter, manually and automatically operatedmeans for controlling said plunger member, said means including a tripmember engageable with said plunger member to hold .'it with said switchclosed, and a thermo tati device p controlling movement of said tripmember to release said plunger member.

2. The combination called for in claim 1,

further characterized my means carried by the thermostatic device tofacilitate manual actuation thereof.

3. The combination called for in claim 1, further characterized by meansadapted to regulate the action of said thermostatic devlce.

4. The combination called for in claim 1, further characterized by anadjustable platform supporting said switch and thermostatic device. I

In testimony whereof I afiix my si nature.

FRANK H. HA EY.

